Scandalized
by Masaichu
Summary: He wished he could take it all back. Maybe if he hadn't denied what everyone was saying, then none of this would have happened. But it did, and now he must face the consequence. SanjixUsopp.
1. First Mistake

I present to you my first attempt at this couple, which has grown to be one of my secondary favorites next to LuffyxUsopp.  
For all youSanjixUsopp lovers out there, this one's for you!

--

The whispers engulfing the table were starting to get on Sanji's nerves. Turning around once again to look at everyone, he could see them all bent over the table, whispering quietly and exchanging fits of giggles.

Everyone but Usopp, anyway. Still down there in the workshop with whatever contraption he was trying to make...

Whatever was going on, Sanji figured it best to ignore it and act as though he were perfectly fine. But how _could_he be when everyone's talking about something he has no idea about?

Honestly, sometimes he wondered if Luffy ever considered stuff like equality...

Striding over to the table with the most casuel look he could muster, he leaned down to hear the ongoing whispers, only to be greeted with total silence.

The whispering stopped instantly, and each pair of eyes came to look at him with either a snicker or a glint. Alright, NOW it was really starting to make him mad...

"Oi, what's all this damn whispering about?" It was already hard to ask without gritting his teeth.

"Why, it's nothing at all, Sanji-kun." Nami spoke in her sweetest tone, all the while waving her hand to make him go off.

At the sound of her voice, Sanji lit up with his usual loving tone.

"Ah! Nami-swan! You are concerned for me?" Kneeling to the ground by her, she could practically see the tiny hearts dance above him, only making her roll her eyes.

"Actuelly, no. I'm not." And with that, the large heart around him promptly split in two.

"N-Nami-swan! B-But why!?"

A few snickers immediately surrounded him, and he could feel their eyes practically staring him down.

Franky was the first one who dared to speak. stifling a smirk.

"Well, Cook-bro...It's just...You know." Nudging him the shoulder, it seemed he was only trying to make a joke out of it rather than help in some way.

"Yohoho! I am so happy that you have someone!" Brooke laughed cheerfully.

Now Sanji was getting more than just confused. What the hell were they talking about? 'Happy to have someone?' What was that supposed to mean?

The only thing that surprised him more when Luffy could finally stop his snickering and look Sanji directly in the eye.

"Don't worry, Sanji. We'll all be fine with however you are."

"WHAT are you talking about?" Standing up, he was beginning to figure out the implication just from their voices.

"Nami said she heard you this morning in the Galley."

Nothing unusual about that, was there? He had just been cooking like he always did in the morning. Quickly, he tried to think back to everything that had been done that morning, and it wasn't long before the image was pulled out from the back of his mind.

"...OH HELL NO! I AM NOT WITH THAT LONGNOSE!!"

"Never said you were, Ero-cook. You just said it yourself." Zoro's smirk was enough to tell that he was going to mock the blonde about this for a long time afterwards.

"Nami-swan!! You couldn't have heard what you did!!"

"It's your own fault. If you two had wanted to get together, you could have at LEAST done it somewhere more private than the Galley."

"WE NEVER DID ANYTHING!! I WAS JUST SHOWING HIM SOMETHING!!"

This could NOT have been happening to him! Five minutes alone in the Galley and everyone is thinking that they did THAT?!

It was wrong! Wrong! Unbelievably wrong!!

"You've been around Usopp a lot lately..." Chopper's little squeaked, only to hide behind Zoro when he was thrown a death glare.

In the calmest voice he could, Sanji tried to spell it out.

"I. Am not. In love. With. That. Idiot."

"But-"

"I'M NOT! I have NEVER liked him that way!! And I will not EVER like him that way! No matter how much freakin evidence you think you have, I WILL NOT EVER LOVE HIM!!"

The steam rising from pores could easily be seen, until the Galley door slammed open loudly. He didn't realize it right then, but Sanji had made one of the biggest mistakes he ever could have.

In the doorway stood Usopp, his eyes wider than usual, his hands clenching slowly into fists. He looked almost like he'd been turned into a zombie or something.

The silence in the room made minutes feel like hours. That glazed look in his eyes could only make it hurt even more...

"...Oi...Usopp..." Sanji walked towards him slowly.

"C'mon, don't do that...I was defending both of us. I mean, they freakin thought we were in LOVE or something! I don't understand how they could possibly think-"

In one swift second, Sanji fell to the floor, cheek stinging with pain while Usopp towered over him, his eyes showing nothing but fear and sadness.

The next second, he was gone, running up the stairwell and into the Boys Quarters.

'SLAM!'

And all was quiet. Deathly quiet...

If the first chapter seemed a little cheesy, I apologize. It should get better later though. I had to write the beginning of this story over five times until I settled upon this version of it, so I hope it's alright so far.


	2. Prolonging Denial

Not a soul dared to move in the Galley. It was hard to make sense of what had just happened, though Sanji was most definitely at a loss of what to say. What _could_ he say after that?

Glancing back at the table of stunned crew mates, he walked out the door and headed straight for the Boy's Quarters.

The others seemed to have lost themselves in their minds.

Nami stared down sadly, feeling regret for having told the others about what she had heard. It never really occurred to her that perhaps it was something far different than she had believed. But it was too late to take it back now.

Shadows covered over Luffy's face as he stared down, hat over his eyes. This shouldn't have gone so far. He was the captain!

He was supposed to stop stuff like this from happening, damn it! And what had happened instead? He'd gotten caught up in the gossip fest himself.

For a pirate, that was pretty low, and he knew it. Standing up, he managed to speak in a low, serious voice.

"We're not going to bring this up ever again. Unless they openly want us to talk about it, we won't."

And with a brief nod, the others quickly agreed.

--

Sanji stood outside the Men's Quarters, silent. If he listened just right, he could make out the sounds of Usopp's breath catching in his throat as he cried to himself.

While every part of his mind was screaming at him to go inside and talk to him, make him understand, somehow he just couldn't get his feet to lift from the floor.

Even if he did go inside, what was he supposed to do? What could he possibly say?

_"I didn't mean what I said but I don't like you that way but I sorta feel a bit strange and I-"_

No, no, damn it! Why was this so much harder now then it was in all those books he'd read as a child?

Backing up from the door, he opted to go back down onto the Deck and sit at the table near the balcony. He had to get his thoughts in order somehow.

So, Usopp liked him in...Well...'That' way. He should have realized it, really. The way Usopp had been acting lately had been a dead giveaway, and Sanji hadn't even bothered to notice.

The way the sniper would be drawing in his sketch book, glancing up every now and then at Sanji. And he _had_ been drawing him much more often than before.

Sometimes he would get a late night visit while he was cleaning the kitchen up, each night supplemented with some sort of an excuse.

Needing a drink, needing someone to talk to, needing whatever.

And really, since when had Usopp really taken a liking towards wanting to cook?

It all made sense, so why hadn't he seen this all earlier?

He was really beginning to regret it right about now.

--

Ribbons of tears slid down Usopp's face as he lay curled up in his hammock. His chest was starting to hurt from heaving out his breath, but he felt too numb to really grasp it.

He'd believed Sanji and him had...Something. Some kind of feeling for each other. He'd felt it numerous occasions when the two spent time alone.

So sure that maybe there was a chance between them. To hear Sanji go and deny everything, and to say it so..._viciously._

It was as though someone had punched him hard in the gut. A reality check he really wished hadn't happened. And now the whole crew had seen him be humiliated this way.

How was he supposed to look Luffy in the eyes? Or walk past Zoro if he was training on Deck? Or even tell his usual stories to Chopper when the little reindeer might ask him if he was 'feeling alright' after this whole thing.

Burying himself further into the pillow, Usopp closed his eyes and let sleep take him over. He would deal with this later. Much later.

Maybe he could fall asleep for days, weeks, a month even. Never having to deal with it. But he would wake up. He would have to deal with it sooner or later...

--

A short chapter, but I thought I should post it up before anymore time went by. Also, for those of you wondering why story "Dawn's Darkness" hasn't been updated is because I have been suffering from unbelievable writer's block.

I am hoping, however, to get it off the ground sometime in the near future. Right now, I will be concentrating on Free Me and Scandalized. Colored Thoughts should also have an update soon, so those of you who have requested a story will have on up soon. That said, thank you for reading, and you're reviews give me great support.


	3. Misguided

For much of the day, the Thousand Sunny seemed much more quiet than usual. Everyone tried to go about their business, but everything they tried was for naught, as their thoughts went straight back to lunchtime.

Nami, especially, had been feeling bad. Perhaps it wasn't so much of feeling bad, as it was a feeling of guilt.

If she had not decided to blab around what she had _thought_ she had heard that morning, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided in the first place.

But how was she to know? She couldn't exactly see what they were doing, but it sure had sounded clear enough.

Sitting at the table on Deck, she reflected on what she had heard, and why she had though the way she did...

--

_"I-I don't know if I can do this..."_

_Usopp's meek voice had been what caught Nami's attention. In the mornings, she was usually one of the first to awaken, and come into the Galley for her coffee._

_But Usopp, on the other hand, always seemed to sleep in, at least until either Luffy woke them up or the ship was attacked._

_Today, neither had happened. Curiosity got the best of her as she kneeled down, pressing her ear to the door in an attempt to hear what was going on. If she tried to glance in through the porthole window, she was sure to be caught._

_"Hold still, Usopp!" Sanji's voice boomed, a hint of annoyance audible._

_"B-But I'm not sure...I-I mean...Is this...R-Right?"_

_Nami's face contorted slightly as she took in what she had heard. It sounded like...But it couldn't be...But those two..._

_"I said hold it! You're going to drop it! ...There! Now just keep it steady..."_

_A loud clang and a thump, followed by a string of curses._

_"Good...God...What IS that!?"_

_"I said I wasn't good at this!!"_

_"Yeah, but THAT is a disgrace!!"_

_Having heard enough, Nami pulled away from the door and ran off as fast as she could, her face flushed of color and her cheeks a tint of pink._

_She couldn't have just heard what she had! No way! Usopp and Sanji...They weren't like that!!_

_The information burrowed at her thoughts until finally she decided she could no longer bottle it up. Nami ran off to find Robin, trying to rub the blush off her face before she got there..._

--

Of course, Robin had just sat silently, listening as Nami told her the story bit by bit. It wasn't her fault Luffy had been eavesdropping, and wouldn't go away until she told him - with a very aggravated face - what she had heard.

It wasn't her fault Luffy had found this new bit of knowledge fascinating and ran off to tell Chopper. And it certainly wasn't her fault that Chopper had asked Franky what Luffy had meant.

In which Franky had told Zoro to explain it the young doctor. During which, at the time, Brook had been leaning near the wall and listened as Franky and Zoro bickered over who should say what, and Chopper tried to calm them down.

Said bickering lead to a few misunderstandings, if one could call them that.

"How am _I_ supposed to explain that the two are fucking around?!" Zoro growled.

"I'M not going to tell him something like that! And how DARE you say it that way! The love shared between two people is much more sacred than that!"

"Like Hell!!"

When the two had finally split up, it was Brook who had begun explaining to Chopper, who, by the end, was blushing as red as one of Usopp's Tabasco Stars.

No one had really meant for misinformation to be exchanged. One might say that the two had been messing around just to get 'needs' off each other's chest.

Another might say that the two of them were deeply in love and had secretly been going at it for months.

And of course, the more gruff - and stubborn - might say that the two of them just liked screwing each other like rabbits.

Love has a different meaning to many. Even those who don't really know what love is.

--

Rubbing her forehead with one hand, Nami sighed and tried to concentrate on her maps. In the back of her mind, she was expecting Sanji to come bursting from the Galley, calling the girls names while holding a tray of fruit drinks.

It was getting close to the late afternoon, which was usually when he served them something. But today, there were no declarations of love, no drinks being placed in front of Robin and her, and no goofy grins and calls of "Mellorine! Mellorine!"

"...Neh, Robin?"

The older women looked up from her book, the same calm look she always had on her face. Nami wished she were that calm now.

"Do you know where Sanji is?" She tried not to sound overly curious, but Robin could pick it up in her voice and smiled her polite smile that always said "I know what you really mean."

"I believe he is in the Galley, trying to think of a way to apologize to Nagahana-kun."

Wordlessly, Nami stood up and headed to the door, looking in through the window.

Just as Robin had said, Sanji sat at the table alone. His eyes were closed in deep thought, and his elbows rested on the table sullenly.

--

_'What the Hell was I thinking? Damn it, he's probably moping to himself! He's already suicidal enough as it is! I was stupid! Damn me! Damn me! How am I supposed to talk to him now? He probably hates me now! And if he doesn't hate ME, he hates HIMSELF! He's probably wondering if something is WRONG with him! I have nothing against him! AUGH! DAMN IT!!'_

"Sanji?"

Startled, Sanji jumped slightly in the chair, his thoughts breaking away as he saw Nami by the counter, watching him worriedly.

"Ah, Nami-san...I was just thinking..."

"I know...Listen, Sanji-kun..."

"No no, don't say it, Nami-san. I know you are going to tell me that everything is going to be fine. It's not. I know that it's not."

Nami groaned to herself inwardly. He was stubborn when he had his mind made up.

"Can't you just go and talk to Usopp? Stop killing yourself over what you'll say and just say the first thing that comes to you."

"I already did that earlier. And that is exactly the reason why I am sitting here, trying to think of what to say."

Damn. He had an answer for everything.

"Well...You...He..." Nami sighed. What else could she really say? She couldn't speak for Usopp because she really didn't know how he felt about this whole thing, other then upset.

She didn't know what it was like, falling in love with someone of the same gender. To hear that person scream to the Heavens that they would never love them. She didn't know. But that didn't mean she couldn't do something about it.

"I must leave, Nami-san." Standing up, Sanji walked out of the Galley, his face covered with a look of regret.

Nami stayed leaning against the counter and stared out the window by the sink. She wasn't just worried for Sanji, she was worried for Usopp as well.

If his sadness continued, it could bring back those old feelings. Feelings of being useless, not needed and helpless. The same feelings that had prompted him to leave the crew.

They couldn't let him leave. Not again.


	4. Little White Lie

As the day wore on into the evening, Sanji found himself at a loss of what to do. He couldn't go into the Men's Quarters because Usopp was there, and he really didn't want to have to face it quite yet.

He couldn't take watch because right now it was Zoro's turn, and he'd be damned if he tried to take that asshole's watch just to have something to do.

And he certainly wouldn't go below Deck because that was where Usopp's personal workshop was, and it would just make him feel worse to look around it.

Luffy, of course, had been the one to suggest making dinner early. Most of the time, if he asked something like that, he would be rewarded with a kick heading his way.

Tonight, however, Sanji made no objections, merely walking to the Galley to begin. Everyone raised an eyebrow in surprise.

But there was really nothing to say and so they continued trying to act like things were normal.

--

By the time Usopp had woken up, the sun was just barely sitting on the horizon. The Men's Quarters had darkened considerably now that no light shined in through the porthole windows.

Stumbling out of bed, Usopp tried to make sense of what exactly had happened. Realization hit him like a punch in the gut.

Sanji's words from earlier instantly yelled at him in his mind, stinging like a slap. His body felt frozen to the floor as his heart clenched inside his chest. For a moment, he felt as though he couldn't breathe.

Until a loud banging suddenly filled his ears. The door was being pounded against by a quite muscled fist.

"Oi! Usopp! Get out here! Ero-Cook's got dinner ready or something..."

Zoro grumbled to himself slightly before walking down the stairs wordlessly. After all that had gone on that day, it was best not to show an indication that it was still on anyone's mind.

Gathering his thoughts together, Usopp took a long breath before walking out the door, his legs shaking all the way to the Galley.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Nami watched as Sanji silently set down a plate of warm food in front of everyone. The look of worry on her face wouldn't leave no matter what. Sanji took pride in his food, and he would always serve it so...elegantly.

Well, to the women anyway. He could probably care less how he served it to the men.

Just as he was about to sit himself down, the Galley door creaked open, and Sanji looked up to see Usopp walk in, his legs still shivering like they always did.

The rest of the crew glanced over slightly before trying to pretend as though they were not bothered. Luffy ate greedily at his meat like any other night, while Franky and Brook adverted their gazes to the window and the floor.

Shrugging slightly, Zoro took another drink of his ale. It was the cook's fault for this entire thing anyway, so it was his problem. Besides, he wasn't exactly the type to handle anything that had to do with a relationship.

He'd that fate befall any other poor man any other day.

"Usopp...I..." Sanji's voice felt caught in his throat as he tried to think of something, anything he could say. But his mind was empty.

"..."

Taking his seat at the table, Usopp's face was cast down slightly, pretending to be fascinated with the patterns of age rings along the floorboards.

Placing the last plate of food down in front of Usopp, Sanji retreated back to his seat.

The room was even more silent than most dinners were, save for Luffy's inhumanly slurps and crunches.

"Um...Usopp?" Nami asked nervously.

"...I don't want to talk about it, Nami. If that's what you're asking me..."

"N-No! No...I wasn't asking that. I was asking...Erm...If you were going to be busy at all after dinner...?"

"No. But I still don't want to talk to you."

By the tone of his voice, it was clear that Usopp was mad at Nami. Although it hurt him inside to be mad at the person he thought of like a sister.

"Na! Usopp! You gotta try some of this meat Sanji made! It's really, really good!"

The wide grin of Luffy's face struck Usopp as strange. After all, don't people usually try doing all of that fake 'trying to heal and forgive' and whatever else that was?

Somehow, in his own strange way, that grin felt genuine enough to Usopp to cheer him up the slightest bit.

It was only when he turned back to his plate and looked at Sanji sitting across from him that his heart sank again.

Scarfing down a good half of his plate, Sanji was about to speak when Usopp stood up and walked out of the room, taking his plate with him down to his workshop.

"Man...Bro sure looked really bad..." Franky said, finally turning his head from the window.

"Cook-Bro, you really hurt him, you know?"

Stomping up from his chair, Sanji glared hard at Franky before sighing and slumping back into it.

"I'm such an idiot..."

"Something we finally agree on."

"WHAT WAS THAT, MARIMO!?"

With a slam over both they're heads, they silenced themselves.

"Fighting won't solve anything!" Nami yelled, angermark on her forehead.

As the yelling, arguing and sighing continued, Chopper slowly got out of his chair and ran out the door, downstairs.

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"That part is too black...And I didn't shade enough there..."

Tip-toeing down the stairwell, Chopper could hear Usopp mumbling to himself in the workshop. Sneaking over to the door, he stuck his hoof into the door and opened it just a crack, glancing inside.

Usopp sat on the small podium, his legs crossed with a sketchbook in his lap and a pencil behind his ear.

Shivering slightly, Chopper stayed hidden behind the door and listened attentively.

"...A little too much red in that line...Maybe I could have darkened in the blue too...Maybe..." His voice quivered slightly as he spoke, the word echoing in his head.

Maybe. Maybe if he had just done this. Maybe if he'd just done that. Too many maybes to even think about. Holding his head, Usopp's shoulders tensed up as he felt tears coming back into his eyes.

"...U...Usopp?" Chopper's tiny voice squeaked as he walked akwardly into the room.

Tearing his hands away quickly, he looked at the tiny reindeer standing next to the podium, looking at his troubled friend with worry and wishing.

Rubbing his eyes slightly, Usopp pretended to be busy at work with his sketches.

"What, Chopper?"

"You...You were crying..."

"I just had something in my eyes. It's nothing to worry about."

"But...You left the table..."

"I'm not hungry."

Hopping up next to Usopp, Chopper stared at the picture the sketchbook was turned to. On the paper was a colored in sketch of Sanji in his black suit and blue, pinstriped undershirt. He was standing against the railing, looking out at the sea so that only the half of his face that showed could be seen.

"...You're such a great artist, Usopp..." Chopper complimented in awe. The details, the accuracy...Sometimes he wished he could draw just as well, but writing in itself was hard enough when you have hooves for hands.

"It's just a picture..."

"No! It's really, really good! You draw so well, I bet you're the best in the Grand Line!"

The idea made Usopp smile just slightly before closing the sketchbook and setting it to the side, slipping the pencil into the binding.

Leaning back, the same sad look took over again. Chopper began digging in his mind for anything he could say to try and cheer the sniper up. But before he could, Usopp began.

"...Don't you find it strange?"

"Huh? What's strange?"

"That I...I'm..." Struggling with the sentence, Usopp turned away slightly.

"I don't think it's strange...I mean...You're still Usopp, right? Even if you if love Sanji..."

"But he's never going to love me, is he? He said it himself..."

The two sat silently for a few minutes, taking in each others words. Chopper's mind was still full of questions without answers, though.

He wished he could understand the love humans had better than he did.

"...Sanji...Didn't mean of those things he said, Usopp...He's been trying so hard to think of something to say to you..."

"How can someone not _mean_ something like that?! He was screaming and yelling about it! How can he _just_...Not mean it..."

Breaking into a fury of sobs, Usopp buried his face in his hands as Chopper's little body shook like nothing before.

He had struck a raw nerve! How stupid was that?! He wasn't helping Usopp, he was hurting him! Got to think of something else fast...But what?

Maybe he should lie? No, he couldn't do that. Doctorine had always told him lying was wrong, especially to a patient, and right now Usopp was his patient.

But she had also told him that sometimes you had to lie to someone so they wouldn't be hurt. Like, if they were dying and something else had happened to them...Something life-changing and things like that. Only, when it was really needed, he could lie.

Was it right though? To lie to his friend? It wasn't right, but it was needed, but...

"Usopp!" He blurted out.

Usopp didn't look at him, but Chopper knew he had his attention.

"S-Sanji wanted me to t-tell you...T-That he loves you..."


	5. Consequences Dealt

Clamping his hooves over his mouth, Chopper stared wide-eyed at Usopp. Had he really just said what he thought he had said?

No, no way. No, he hadn't just said that Sanji loved Usopp. He hadn't, really. It just slipped out. Just a lie. Just a little, tiny, white, insignificant lie. No one would know, no one. But Usopp knew. Only he didn't know it was a lie.

Slowly looking at Chopper with tearful eyes, Usopp's mouth hung wide open as he tried to take in what he'd been told. Sanji had asked Chopper to tell him that he really loved him? Was it true?

"...Chopper...Was that...Did he really say that...?"

The doctor began to panic in his mind, before another lie slipped past his lips.

"Y-Yeah! He wanted me to tell you!"

Backing up slightly from the podium they sat upon, Chopper could feel sweat begining to seep through his fur.

"W-Well I had b-better be going! Got uh...Rumble Balls to clean out! No, I mean medical beakers to make! No no! I m-mean! Ahh!! I'll see you later Usopp!!"

Darting out of the room as fast as possible, Chopper ran to the Infirmary, leaving a very confused and questioning Usopp in his wake.

--

For a long while, Usopp sat frozen to the ground, trying to make exact sense of what all Chopper had said. Well, said aside for the little panic attack he'd had. Perhaps he was just nervous about relaying such information to him.

But what information it was! Sanji really did love Usopp, and the very thought of the cook wrapping an arm around his thin, tanned waist made Usopp's cheeks blush a deep, hot red.

The only question left now was what was he going to do about it? Was he supposed to go up to Sanji and tell him Chopper had told him all about it? Or was he supposed to go ahead and confess it all right then and there?

As much as he felt happy around Sanji, he really had no clue how to address the situation. Standing up, he decided to take a small walk around the ship to clear his mind a bit, before going to see Sanji about it.

--

A wisp of smoke blew up from Sanji's breath, dissolving into the sea's air. Leaning against the railing, he found himself reflecting on past adventures the crew had been on. Alabasta, Skypiea, Thriller Bark.

Each location had a special place in his heart, for one reason or another. And then, somewhere, buried deep under all of the flowers, hand kissing and women courting, was Usopp.

He had to kick himself mentally, because he'd been caught by that same phrase of "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

And, really, he hadn't realized how much he felt about Usopp until this whole thing. Whether that was good or bad, he still didn't know.

It was hard to take in such information, however. He was Sanji! A womanizer, a caregiver. Always courting women, always giving them any dish they desired, gave them the best seats, gave them every ounce of his unwavering attention.

As for Usopp, well...

Sometimes he gave him a drink or two, only if he really felt like it. And once in awhile he'd make Usopp's favorite dish of grilled pike.

But Usopp needed more to know he was loved. He had, after all, gone through childhood without a mother or father figure anywhere in his sight.

Sanji, in a way, was Usopp's figure of both. Although he'd kick the poor bastard into next week if he thought cooking was 'motherly.'

Inhaling a puff of smoke, he began trying to think of a way to tell any of this to Usopp. Because now was the right time to tell him, to make everything alright.

"Usopp, I didn't mean what I said, I really do care for...No...That's not going to work..."

Holding his head, Sanji sighed and walked up the stairs to where the garden was. Robin's flowerbed blew in the breeze of the night, and it made him smile slightly to see such beautiful plants able to blossum even out here in the middle of the ocean.

As he leaned against the railing and stared up at the full moon, he heard someone come up behind him.

Behind him, Usopp stood by the stairs, the moonlight catching a glint off his skin.

"S...Sanji...I'm...Chopper talked to me..." Usopp stuttered. He wasn't sure how to really direct the conversation on all this.

For a moment, Sanji was silent. This was the first time since the incident that Usopp had begun talking to him directly, and it made him feel hopeful that everything could work out.

Until Usopp said those fated words.

"He told me...About how...You said...He...I...H-He said that you really do love me! A-And I love you back!"

There! He said it! He finally had gotten it out, albeit with a blush staining his cheeks.

However, Sanji looked less than thrilled. In fact, he looked rather...angry? Why? Hadn't Chopper told him exactly what Sanji wanted to be said? Unless...No...Chopper wasn't a liar. _He_ was the liar around here. The one who made stories.

Why wasn't Sanji responding to him then?

He opened his mouth, then shut it, in fear of saying anything more.

Here they were, inches apart, with many, many things that wanted to come from their throats. Some were good, and some weren't as kind to say.

So why could they only stand in this awkward silence, illuminated by the full moon?

The silence was telling one of them something wonderful. The silence was telling the other something horrible.

You can only imagine who ended up with which thought...


	6. Needing Answers

I must apologize for the lack of updates recently. Things have been hectic lately, but with summer coming I will be updating more often. Also, any suggestions or ideas are welcomed, as I've been plagued by writers block as well. Please enjoy chapter six of Scandalized!

--

For a long moment, Sanji's visible eye stared long and hard at Usopp. Almost as though if he were to stare long enough, any trace of Usopp left in the world would just go away. Vanish.

But Usopp was still standing there, no matter how long his eye lingered, and it was making his blood boil. How could Chopper have bluntly lied to him like that? How could he just shove words into his mouth?

Taking in a deep breath, Sanji attempted to calm himself down before he spoke. "You said that Chopper told you that?"

Usopp only nodded in silence.

"He told you that _I_ told him to say that?"

Another nod.

"Usopp, I-"

"Don't say it. I understand." Casting his eyes downward, the marksman turned on his heels and began to walk away. Sanji mentally smacked himself. How could he have said it that way!?

His face softened while watching Usopp leave, the look of being heartbroken clearly etched onto his features. Almost like a magnet being attracted to a pin, his feet took off after him.

Usopp stiffened as a hand rested on his shoulder, clinging slightly to the fabric of his overalls. "Sanji, don't-"

"Shut up and listen, idiot." Sanji's voice seemed to crack for a moment before gaining composure, much to Usopp's surprise.

"All day I've been working my ass off trying to think of something to say to you, so you better fucking listen."

Both stood silent, the cool night wind blowing through their hair. It was only then that Usopp realized how chilly it was, but Sanji spoke before he could think further, firm grip still on his shoulder.

"I want to make it clear right now, I never told Chopper to say that." He winced as Usopp's look grew more disheartened.

"So you don't like me...I get it already, Sanji..."

Usopp found himself being pulled by the shoulders, turned toward Sanji and forced to look into his visible eye.

"Damn it, that's not what I'm saying! I'm not saying I don't like you...'That way', but I'm not saying I do either!!"

His words were getting mixed up again, he just knew it! He probably wasn't helping at all! But then, why is this warm feeling suddenly coming over him? It feels good, great actually. Great to say those words and finally get it off his chest.

It hits him that he's closed his eye, and he opens it fast to look at Usopp. The sniper's shoulders aren't sagging anymore. In fact, he's standing straight up now, a look of sad but relieved wonderment on his face.

"You mean there's a...chance?" Usopp is careful with picking his words. If he screws this up, all he'll get is a pure 'no', and that's the one thing he never wants.

"...Maybe."

--

Sanji ended up sleeping on the couch in the Galley that night. To him, it would be awkward to go and sleep in the Men's Quarters, where Usopp would be, as well as all the others there too.

Unfortunately, a couch isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, and after much tossing and turning all he could do was sit up and light himself a smoke. His mind replays earlier events in his head like a broken record stuck in one place.

Mostly, he remembers his hands on Usopp's shoulders, as though holding the younger teen close to him.

It wasn't meant to be taken as an embrace, but not as a forceful encounter either.

What gets to him most though was that one question. That one simple yet complex question.

Did they really have a chance? After all, Sanji had never, ever, _ever_ thought of the possibility of liking a man. It was the girls that made his knees go weak and chest blaze hot.

But every time he took one look at the sniper, his body felt frozen, if only for a minute. Which one was love then? Real love?

No, it wasn't love. Not exactly. Not yet, anyway. Love is when you want to cuddle and hug and kiss and don't care if anyone else really knows what's going on.

Stubbing the cigarette out in a nearby ashtray, Sanji turned onto his side on the couch and once again attempted to sleep, no blanket or pillow needed. Before slipping into uncomfortable sleep, that question again racked his mind.

_"You mean there's a chance?"_

--

By morning, the cook's body was full of kinks from laying on that God awful couch. How Franky had thought it would be comfortable, he had no clue. It would be breakfast time soon, so he started hauling himself up.

Until something fell slightly to his waist. It was a blanket. A brownish, slightly worn out blanket. But when had he gotten a...

A smile tugged at his lips. It wasn't much, but it meant that something had been forgiven that night, and possibly more than that even.

Folding up the blanket and setting it on the couch, Sanji took a moment to bend his body back in shape with some rather painful looking stretches before getting breakfast started.

The morning had barely begun, and aside from the pains, he was feeling quite right.

_"Maybe there really is a chance...But I'm not jumping in just yet..."_


End file.
